Steam-pipe coupling for railway-cars



(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

T. GURLEY.

STEAM PIPE COUPLING FOR RAILWAY CARS. No. 478,991. Patented July 19,1892..

(No Model.) I 3 SheetsSheet, 2. T. CURLEY.

STEAM PIPE COUPLING FOR RAILWAY CARS. No. 478,991. I Pate a July 19,1892-.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet a.

T. OURLEY. STEAM PIPE COUPLING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 478,991. Patented July 19, 1892.

w n U x s a E; N 5K Q 99 s li mm' M \A/IT 4555125 UR m 4% w m 7 jyjfl mUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS oURLEY, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

STEAM-PIPE COUPLING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,991, dated July 19,1892.

Application filed July 18, 1891. Serial No, 399,987. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS OURLEY, of the of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Couplers for the Steam-Heatlng Pipes ofRailway-Oars, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for connecting thesteam-heating pipes of railroad-trains, and these improvements have fortheir object an improved arrangement of apparatus for connecting thepipes between the cars.

Accompanying this specification to form a part of it there are threeplates of drawings, containing five figures, illustrating my invention,with the same designation of parts by letter reference used in all ofthem. Of the illustrations, Figure l is a side elevation showing the twoends of a car steam-heating pipe connected by my two-part coupler. Fig.2 shows a top view of the two coupler parts on the abutting ends of twosteam-pipes with the coupler parts shown as connected. Fig. 3 is a topview of the parts shown at Figs. 1 and 2 with the coupler parts shownas'separated. Fig. 4 shows a side elevation of the two coupler parts andpart of the steam-pipe with which they each connect with the couplerparts shown as separated. Fig. 5 shows a section taken on the line a,":r of Fig. 4.

' ence, and the function of the parts is described as follows: 7 Theletters P designate the steam-pipes extending from the ends of the cars,and C 0 the coupler parts, each of which is the counterpart of the otherand each of which at its outer end E isconnected with one of thesteampipes P. Each of the coupler parts is made with an abuttingpacking-face 0, provided with packing 10, so that when brought togetherto face on each other they make a steam-tight connection thereat.

The letters L designate a latch, of which there is one hinged to theside of each coupler part by means of hinging ears 6 6, made on thelatch, and a hinging-tongue T, projected from the coupler parts uponopposite sides of the latter. Each of these tongues T is entered betweenthe ears e eof each of the said latches and secured therein by means ofa hingingbolt B. Each of these latches is made with a cam 0 arrangedupon one of its ears e, and theletterb designates a spring-bolt havingan encircling springS made to su rround said bolt B Within a recess 1'in each of the coupler body parts, one end of said spring connectingwith the bolt B at a and the other end thereof resting on the bottom ofsaid recess, as shown at Fig 5, and so that when said latch is moved tolock, as will be hereinafter described, it is so moved that the camthereon bears against the force of said spring-bolt, and. which latteroperates to throw outwardly the outer end of the latch on its hingedconnection when the latch is relieved. Each of these latches is madewith a projection 19 on its upper edge that tapers downwardly asextended outwardly, the function of which will be subsequently describedherein. Each of these latches L has upon its outer end 6 an L-formtermination upon its inner side, as indicated at Z This L-form end isproduced by the end Z projected inwardly at right angles to the latchproper, andlip l projected toward thehinged end of the latch, but atright angles to the outer end 1 so as to inclose a recess 1".

The letter N designates a set-screw constructed to turn in the end ofeach of the latches, the inner end of said set-screw passing through theend I of the latches. This set-screw is provided with a keeper-nut n anda head-nut 01 the latches as thus constructed and hinged being shown ina top view at Fig. 3 as disconnected and thrown out by the action of thespring-bolts, with the coupler parts illustrated in a top view asconnected at Fig. 3 and as disconnected in a side view at Fig. 4.

The letter D designates latching-levers, of which there is one for eachcoupler part. Each of 'these levers is pivoted to one of the couplerparts upon the opposite side of each of the latter, as indicated at 10as shown at Fig. 4. Each of these levers D is constructed with a curvedfinger F, that is rigidly attached to the outer face of each of saidlevers, as indicated at Figs. 1, 3, and 4, and each of these fingers isso curved outwardly and downwardly that when the two coupler parts arebrought face to face on their packing-faces O and the lovers are moveddownwardly the fingers F of each coupler part will engage with therounded projection 12" on the edge of and as descending along the facethereof with the outer face of each of the latches L, so as to forceinwardly the outer ends of the same and into the position shown at Figs.1 and 2.

The letters K designate a cam made on the pivot end of each of thelevers D, and when these levers are turned on their pivoted connectionsthey operate, as before described, to swing in the outer ends of thelatches L by means of the fingers F, and as these levers continue todescend the cam K on each of them engages with the recess l or the endof the set-screw N of the latch end of the other coupler, thus operatingto pull the two coupler parts toward each other on their hearingfaces 0.

The letters (1* designate guides arranged on each of the coupler parts,which are made on the outer face thereof, so as to break joints when thecoupler parts connect and so that each of them will lap past each otherand outer face of the other coupler part when the bearing-faces of thecoupler parts are drawn togetherhy the combined action of the latches Land pivoted levers D, as before described.

The letters M designate wedge-formed lugs projected from the levers D,and the function of these wed ge-form ed lugs is, when the lovers D areoperated, to disconnect the couplcrparts. These wedges, as the leversare pulled back, crowd in between the latches and coupler Sides todisconnect them, so as to be acted upon by the springs, which forcetheir L-form ends outwardly.

The letters S" designate stops made on each of the coupler parts toregulate their unlatching movement, and the letters E" designate eyesmade in each of the levers D formaking a connection by means of a chainwith the end of the car located oppositely, so that as the cars separatethe coupler will automatically disconnect. As thus made and arranged,these coupler parts are adapted to disconnect automatically and to beeasily connected when the abutting ends of the cars are brought togcther and to make a perfectly-tight joint thereat.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the two coupler parts 0 0, each having thepacking-face O and packing p and each made with a hinged latch L,constructed with an end recess l and each of said coupler partsconstructed with a pivoted lever D, made with the finger F, and cam K,constructed and arranged to operate eonnectedly, substantially in themanner as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed at Troy New York, this 30th day of December, 1890, and in thepresence of the two witnesses whose names are hereunto written.

THOMAS CURLEY.

'Witnesses CHARLES S. BRINTNALL, W. E. HAGAN.

